Method and system of using standardized structural components

ABSTRACT

A method and system disclosed herein provides generating an architectural diagram describing an architectural layout of a building, wherein one or more walls of the building are designated as standardized structural walls, automatically positioning each of the standardized structural walls to a geometric grid, and mapping (or “placing”), using a computer, one or more of a plurality of standardized structural components, including standardized panels, standardized columns, and standardized trusses to coordinates of the geometric grid.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims benefit ofcontinuation-in-part application, U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser.No. 13/719,561 entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM OF USING STANDARDIZEDSTRUCTURAL COMPONENTS” and filed Dec. 19, 2012, and expected to grant onApr. 1, 2014 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,688,411, and claims benefit of U.S.Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 12/964,380 entitled “PANELIZEDSTRUCTURAL SYSTEM FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION” and filed on Dec. 9, 2010,which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.61/288,011 filed on Dec. 18, 2009, both of which are incorporated hereinby reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a method and system for constructingand assembling buildings using panelized and modular structural system.

BACKGROUND

A building's structure must withstand physical forces or displacementswithout danger of collapse or without loss of serviceability orfunction. The stresses on buildings are withstood by the buildings'structures.

Buildings five stories and less in height typically use a “bearing wall”structural system to manage dead and live load vertical forces. Verticalforces on the roof, floors, and walls of a structure are passedvertically from the roof to the walls to the foundation by evenlyspreading the loads on the walls and by increasing the size and densityof the framing or frame structure from upper floors progressivelydownward to lower floors, floor-to-floor. For ceilings and floor spans,trusses are used to support loads on the ceilings and floors and totransfer these loads to walls and columns.

Where vertical bearing elements are absent, for example at window anddoor openings, beams are used to transfer loads to columns or walls. Inbuildings taller than five stories, where the walls have limitedcapacity to support vertical loads, concrete and/or structural steelframing in the form of large beams and columns are used to support thestructure.

Lateral forces (e.g., wind and seismic forces) acting on buildings aremanaged and transferred by bracing. A common method of constructing abraced wall line in buildings (typically 5 stories or less) is to createbraced panels in the wall line using structural sheathing. A moretraditional method is to use let-in diagonal bracing throughout the wallline, but this method is not viable for buildings with many openings fordoors, windows, etc. The lateral forces in buildings taller than fivestories are managed and transferred by heavy steel let-in bracing, orheavy steel and/or concrete panels, as well as structural core elementssuch as concrete or masonry stair towers and elevator hoistways.

There is a need for a panelized and modular system for constructing andassembling buildings without relying on concrete and/or structural steelframing, heavy steel let-in bracing, and heavy steel and/or concretepanels.

SUMMARY

A method and system disclosed herein provides generating anarchitectural diagram describing an architectural layout of a building,wherein one or more walls of the building are designated as standardizedstructural walls, automatically positioning each of the standardizedstructural walls to a geometric grid, and mapping (or “placing”), usinga computer, one or more of a plurality of standardized structuralcomponents, including standardized panels, standardized columns, andstandardized trusses to coordinates of the geometric grid.

In some implementations, articles of manufacture are provided ascomputer program products. One implementation of a computer programproduct provides a computer program storage medium readable by acomputer system and encoding a computer program. Another implementationof a computer program product may be provided in a computer data signalembodied in a carrier wave by a computing system and encoding thecomputer program.

Other implementations are also described and recited herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a stud for use as a framing member in horizontaltruss panels;

FIG. 2 illustrates a track for use as a framing member in horizontaltruss panels;

FIGS. 3 and 3.1 illustrate a V-Braced horizontal truss panel;

FIGS. 4, 4.1, and 4.2 illustrate various open horizontal truss panels;

FIG. 5 illustrates a truss for attachment to horizontal truss panels;

FIG. 6 illustrates a structural column assembly for attaching horizontaltruss panels to one another;

FIGS. 7 and 8 show the manner of attaching a horizontal truss panel suchas shown in FIGS. 3, 3.1, 4, 4.1, and 4.2 to the structural columnassembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 shows a unified horizontal truss panel wall line having open andV-braced horizontal truss panels in a Unified Truss Construction System(UTCS) wall line;

FIG. 10 illustrates the truss of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 shows the truss/stud hangar of FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 illustrate a portion of the structural column assembly of FIG.6;

FIG. 13 illustrates trusses connected to horizontal truss panels;

FIG. 14 illustrates trusses connected to horizontal truss panels to forma UTCS open span assembly creating a wall line;

FIG. 15 illustrates a UTCS building section formed as an assembly ofmultiple floors of a UTCS structure;

FIG. 16 shows alignment of the structural column assemblies of FIG. 6 ina building;

FIG. 17 illustrates a three-dimensional view and a two-dimensional viewof the floor-to-floor sections of a section of this building;

FIG. 18 shows the transfer of forces to the structural column assembliesof FIG. 6;

FIG. 19 illustrates an example block diagram of a system for using thestandardized structural components;

FIG. 20 illustrates an alternative example block diagram of a system forusing the standardized structural components;

FIG. 21 illustrates an example flowchart of a method of using thestandardized structural components;

FIG. 22 illustrates example of structural panel names generated by thesystem disclosed herein;

FIG. 23 illustrates example flowchart of a method for using specializedcode to track building construction progress;

FIG. 24 illustrates an example flowchart of a method for using machinecontrol files to control the manufacturing of the standardizedstructural components;

FIG. 25 illustrates an example geometric grid used by the method andsystem disclosed herein;

FIG. 26 illustrates an example plan view of a geometric grid withvarious standardized structural components along the grid lines;

FIG. 27 illustrates an example elevation view of a building structureusing various standardized structural components;

FIG. 28 illustrates a three-dimensional view of a structure generatedusing various standardized structural components; and

FIG. 29 illustrates an example computing system that can be used toimplement one or more components of the method and system describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS

The Unified Truss Construction System (UTCS) disclosed herein is aunique, new, and innovative structural system for single and multistorybuildings, based on standardized structural panels. The system employs alimited number of configurations of uniquely engineered, light gaugemetal framed vertical wall panels (horizontal truss panels),light-gauge-metal floor and ceiling trusses, cold rolled square orrectangular steel tubing (structural columns), and unique connectingplates and clips.

Unlike conventional approaches to designing and engineering a building'sstructure, where many different assemblies (walls, columns, beams,bracing, strapping, and the fasteners that fasten them together) areemployed to manage vertical live load and dead load forces, and lateralforces, UTCS manages these forces through a limited number of uniquelydesigned standardized horizontal truss panels, which are assembled withstructural columns and trusses. This unique assembly of elementseffectively supports and transfers vertical and lateral forces from thewalls, floor, ceiling, and roof to UTCS' redundant and dense columnsystem. Accordingly, columns absorb these vertical and lateral forcessuch that UTCS is not a vertical bearing wall structural system andeliminates the need for “hot formed” structural steel (weighted steel or“red iron”) and concrete as part of a building's structural system.

UTCS framing members are made from specially designed computerized rollforming machines. These machines manufacture framing studs or membersfrom cold rolled steel commonly referred to as “coiled steel.” Each studis cut to size, pre-drilled for fastening screws, with countersinks atthe assembly screw head area, pre-punched for chasing mechanical,electrical, and plumbing (“MEP”) assemblies and rough-ins, pre-punchedfor passing vertical and horizontal bracing, and labeled for assembly.The machines read stud specifications from CAD files.

Horizontal truss panels and the trusses used in UTCS are constructedwith framing members roll formed from light gauge steel, such as 18 to14 gauge steel, depending on building height and code requirements.There are two profiles of framing members used in the horizontal trusspanels, a stud 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 and a track 12 illustrated inFIG. 2. The stud 10 and the track 12 are each rolled from light gaugesteel, such as 18 to 14 gauge steel.

Each of the stud 10 and the track 12 includes a web 14, flanges 16, andlips 18 formed as illustrated in FIG. 1. The flanges 16 extend in thesame direction at substantially right angles from opposing sides of theweb 14, and the lips 18 extend inwardly from ends of the flanges 16 suchthat the lips 18 parallel the web 14. The stud 10 and the track 12differ mainly in that the flanges 16 of the track 12 are slightly higherthan the flanges 16 of the stud 10, and the web 14 of the track 12 isslightly wider than the web 14 of the stud 10. These relative dimensionsallow the stud 10 to slide into or through the track 12 without the needto compress the flanges 16 of the stud 12, which affects its structuralperformance.

UTCS employs a limited number, such as two, configurations of horizontaltruss panels. These horizontal truss panels are the structural wallelements of UTCS. If only two such configurations are used, they are (a)a V-braced horizontal truss panel 20/22 shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 3.1,which contains a “V” shaped brace (“V-brace”), and (b) an openhorizontal truss panel 24 shown in FIG. 4, which does not contain aV-brace.

An open horizontal truss panel 24 is generally used in any area of abuilding having large openings (windows, doors, pass-throughs, and thelike) in a UTCS structure. The open horizontal truss panel 24 isengineered to support and transfer vertical live (occupancy, forexample) and dead load forces (e.g., drywall, MEP assemblies,insulation, and the like) from floor and ceiling assemblies attachedeither to or proximate to each panel within a building (“Local Forces”).The V-braced horizontal truss panel 20/22 is engineered to supportvertical local forces and lateral forces acting on the structure (windand seismic, for example).

As shown in FIG. 3, the V-braced horizontal truss panel 20 has a toptrack 26 and a bottom track 28. Inboard of the top track 26 is acontinuous horizontal brace comprised of back-to-back (web-to-web)tracks 30 and 32, (referred to as double horizontal bracing), which areanchored by fasteners 34 such as bolts or screws to side studs 36 and 38at the sides of the V-braced horizontal truss panel 20. The top track 26and the bottom track 28 are also anchored by fasteners 34 to the sidestuds 36 and 38. The area between the continuous horizontal brace formedby the tracks 30 and 32 and the top track 26 contains vertical angledwebbing 40 made from studs. This braced area in FIG. 3 acts as a trussattachment area 42 within the V-braced horizontal truss panel 20 for theattachment of trusses 106 discussed below, and supports and transfersforces exerted on the V-braced horizontal truss panel 20 to thestructural columns discussed below and attached to each of the sidestuds 36 and 38 of the V-braced horizontal truss panel 20.

The V-braced horizontal truss panel 20 also has two inboard studs 44 and46 and a center stud 48 anchored by fasteners 34 to the top and bottomtracks 26 and 28 and to the tracks 30 and 32. The side studs 36 and 38pass through end cutouts 50 in the ends of the web 14 and in the lips 18of the tracks 30 and 32 such that the flanges 16 of the studs 36 and 38abut the flanges 16 at the ends of the tracks 26, 28, 34, and 36. Theseend cutouts 50 are shown in FIG. 2. The fasteners 34 are at theseabutment areas. Similarly, the inboard studs 44 and 46 and the centerstud 48 pass through interior cutouts 52 of the webs 14 and lips 18 ofthe tracks 30 and 32 such that an exterior of the flanges 16 of thestuds 36 and 38 and of the center stud 100 abut the interior of theflanges 16 of the tracks 26, 28, 34, and 36. These interior cutouts 52are also shown in FIG. 2. The fasteners 34 are at these abutment areas.The five vertical studs 36, 38, 44, 46, and 48, for example, may bespaced 24″ on center. The point at which the inboard studs 44 and 46 andthe center stud 48 pass through the tracks 30 and 32 is a hingeconnection (i.e., a single fastener allows for rotation). The studs ofthe V-braced horizontal truss panel 20 also serve to support drywall,conduit, wiring, plumbing assemblies, etc.

The V-braced horizontal truss panel 20 also contains a continuousV-shaped bracing. This V-Bracing is unique in its design andengineering. The two legs of the V-brace are V-brace studs 54 and 56such as the stud 10 shown in FIG. 1. The V-brace stud 54 is anchored tothe side stud 36 just below the tracks 30 and 32 and to the bottom track28 by the fasteners 34 and passes through an interior cutout 58 in theweb 14 of the inboard stud 44. This interior cutout 58 is shown inFIG. 1. The web 14 of the V-brace stud 54 abuts one flange 16 of each ofthe studs 36 and 44 and the track 28. These abutment areas receive thefasteners 34 as shown.

Similarly, the V-brace stud 56 is anchored to the side stud 38 justbelow the tracks 30 and 32 and to the bottom track 28 by the fasteners34 and passes through the interior cutout 58 in the inboard stud 46. Theweb 14 of the V-brace stud 56 abuts one flange 16 of each of the studs38 and 46 and the track 28. These abutment areas receive the fasteners34 as shown.

The attachment of the V-brace studs 54 and 56 to the studs 36 and 38 andto the track 28 require that the ends of the V-brace studs 54 and 56 beangles as shown in FIG. 3. These angled ends permit multiple fasteners34 to be used to anchor the V-brace studs 54 and 56 to theircorresponding side studs 36 and 38.

The V-brace studs 54 and 56 are positioned with their webs perpendicularto the webs of the studs 36, 44, 48, and 38 of the V-braced horizontaltruss panel 20. Also, the V-brace studs 54 and 56 run continuously fromimmediately below the tracks 32 and 34 through the inboard studs 44 and46 to the apex of a “V” at substantially the middle of the bottom track28. The connection at the apex of the V-bracing is facilitated by anapex plate 60 and additional fasteners 34, which interconnect theV-brace studs 54 and 56 and the center stud 48. The plate 60, the bottomtrack 28, and the stud 48 and the V-brace studs 54 and 56 areinterconnected by the lower three fasteners as shown in FIG. 3. Theinboard stud 46 is also attached by fasteners 34 to the top track 26 andto the tracks 30 and 32 at the point where the inboard stud 46 passesthrough the interior cutouts 52 in the tracks 30 and 32. The apex plate60 may be formed from a material such as 18-14 gauge cold roll steel.

The connections of the V-brace studs 54 and 56, to the side studs 36 and38, to the center stud 48, and to the track 28 are moment connectionsand improve the lateral structural performance of the V-bracedhorizontal truss panel 20.

These connections facilitate the transfer of most of the lateral forcesacting on the V-braced horizontal truss panel 20 to the structuralcolumn of the system (discussed in further detail below).

The V-braced horizontal truss panel 20 also contains a track 62providing horizontal bracing. The track 62 is located, for example,mid-way in the V-Brace formed by the V-brace studs 54 and 56. The track62 has the end cutouts 50 to accommodate the inboard studs 44 and 46,has the interior cutout 52 to accommodate the center stud 48, and isanchored by fasteners 34 to the inboard studs 44 and 46 and to thecenter stud 48. The track 62 contributes to the lateral-force structuralperformance of the V-braced horizontal truss panel 20.

The V-braced horizontal truss panel 20 may contain other bracing andbacking as necessary for building assemblies like drywall, cabinets,grab bars and the like. The V-braced horizontal truss panel 20 is usedas both interior (demising and partition) structural walls and exteriorstructural walls. The V-braced horizontal truss panel 20/22 may alsoaccommodate windows and pass-throughs, although the space is limited ascan be seen from the drawings.

The V-braced horizontal truss panel 22 of FIG. 3.1 has the sameconstruction as the V-braced horizontal truss panel 20 of FIG. 3 exceptthat the V-brace stud 54 forming half of the V-brace of FIG. 3 isreplaced by two studs 64 and 66 whose lips 18 abut one another, and theV-brace stud 56 forming the other half of the V-brace of FIG. 3 isreplaced by two studs 68 and 70 that may or may not abut one another.Thus, the studs 64, 66, 68, and 70 form a double V-brace for theV-braced horizontal truss panel 22 of FIG. 3.1 to provide extrastrength.

As shown in FIG. 4, the open horizontal truss panel 24 has a top track80 and a bottom track 82. Inboard of the top track 80 is a continuoushorizontal brace comprised of back-to-back (web-to-web) tracks 84 and86, (referred to as double horizontal bracing), which are anchored byfasteners 34 such as bolts or screws to side studs 88 and 90 at thesides of the open horizontal truss panel 24. The top track 80 and thebottom track 82 are also anchored by fasteners 34 to the side studs 88and 90. The area between the continuous horizontal brace formed by thetracks 84 and 86 and the top track 80 contains vertical angled webbing92 made from studs. This braced area in FIG. 4 acts as a structuraltruss 94 for the open horizontal truss panel 24, and supports andtransfers forces exerted on the open horizontal truss panel 24 to thestructural columns discussed below and attached to each of the sidestuds 88 and 90 of the open horizontal truss panel 24.

The open horizontal truss panel 24 also has two inboard studs 96 and 98and a center stud 100 anchored by fasteners 34 to the top and bottomtracks 80 and 82 and to the tracks 84 and 86. The side studs 88 and 90pass through end cutouts 50 in the ends of the web 14 and of the lips 18of the tracks 84 and 86 such that the flanges 16 of the studs 88 and 90abut the flanges 16 at the ends of the tracks 80, 82, 84, and 86. Theseend cutouts 50 are shown in FIG. 2. The fasteners 34 are at theseabutment areas. Similarly, the inboard studs 96 and 98 and the centerstud 100 pass through interior cutouts 52 of the webs 14 and of the lips18 of the tracks 84 and 86 such that the flanges 16 of the studs 96 and98 and of the center stud 100 abut the flanges 16 of the tracks 80, 82,84, and 86. These interior cutouts 52 are also shown in FIG. 2. Thefasteners 34 are at these abutment areas. The five vertical studs 88,90, 96, 98, and 100, for example, may be spaced 24″ on center. The pointat which the inboard studs 96 and 98 and the center stud 100 passthrough the tracks 84 and 86 is a hinge connection (i.e., a singlefastener allows for rotation). The studs of the open horizontal trusspanel 24 also serve to support drywall, conduit, wiring, plumbingassemblies, etc.

The open horizontal truss panel 24 also contains a track 102 performinghorizontal bracing. The track 102 is located, for example, mid-waybetween the tracks 82 and 86. The horizontal bracing track 102 includesthe end cutouts 50 through which the side studs 88 and 90 pass, hasthree interior cutouts 52 through which the inboard studs 96 and 98 andthe center stud 100 pass, and is anchored by fasteners 34 to the sidestuds 88 and 90, to the inboard studs 44 and 46, and to the center stud48. The flanges 16 of the studs 88, 90, 96, 98, and 100 abut the flanges16 of the track 102. The fasteners 34 are applied to these abutmentareas. The open horizontal truss panel 24 is engineered to handlevertical local forces.

The open horizontal truss panel 24 is designed to accommodate windows,doors, and pass-throughs. The open horizontal truss panel 24, forexample, may be 20′ wide or less. FIGS. 4.1 and 4.2 illustrate openhorizontal truss panels with one or more openings for windows, doors,and pass-throughs. FIG. 4.1 illustrates typical chase openings 104through which MEP assemblies may be passed. These chase holes 104 may beformed in the V-braced horizontal truss panels 20 and 22 as well. FIG.4.2 illustrates several open horizontal truss panels with openings fordoors.

The open horizontal truss panel 24 may contain other bracing and backingas necessary for building assemblies like windows, doors, pass throughs,drywall, cabinets, grab bars and the like. The open horizontal trusspanel 24 is used as both interior (demising and partition) structuralwalls and exterior structural walls.

The horizontal truss panels described above are tall enough toaccommodate the floor to ceiling areas of buildings, and to accommodateattachment of trusses, such as a truss 106 shown in FIG. 5. The truss106 is attached to the truss attachment area 42 and includes a top stud108 and a bottom stud 110 interconnected by an angled webbing 112 madefrom studs such that the angled webbing 112 is attached to the top andbottom studs 108 and 110 by the fasteners 34. The truss 106 is attachedto the truss attachment area 42 of a horizontal truss panel 114 by useof truss/stud hangars 116 and the fasteners 34. Although the horizontaltruss panel 114 is shown as the V-braced horizontal truss panel 20/22,the horizontal truss panel 114 can be any of the horizontal truss panelsdescribed herein. The truss/stud hangars 116 are discussed more fullybelow in connection with FIG. 11.

The truss hangars 116 may be formed from a material such as 18-14 gaugecold roll steel.

The truss 106 is also shown in FIG. 10. Trusses used in UTCS are madefrom the studs 10. These trusses have the top and bottom studs 108 and110 and the internal angled webbing 112. The trusses 106 do not haveside or end webbing connecting their top and bottom chords 108 and 110.The truss 106 may be formed from light gauge steel, such as 18 to 14gauge steel. The gauge and length f the truss 106 varies depending onapplication and width of floor span.

FIG. 6 illustrates a structural column assembly 130 that includes astructural column 132 having a top plate 134 and a bottom plate 136welded to the top and bottom of the structural column 132 so that thetop plate 134 covers the top of the structural column 132 and the bottomplate 136 covers the bottom of the structural column 132. The structuralcolumn 132, for example, may be four sided, may be hollow, and may varyin wall thickness depending on building height and code requirements.The top plate 134 and the bottom plate 136 are shown in FIG. 6 as beinglinear in the horizontal direction and are used where two walls arejoined side-by-side so as to share a common linear horizontal axis.However, the top plate 134 and the bottom plate 136 may be “L” shapedplates when two walls are to be joined at a corner such that thehorizontal axes of the two walls are perpendicular to one another.

One or more bolts 138 are suitably attached (such as by welding orcasting) to the top plate 134. The bolts 138 extend away from the topplate 134 at right angles. Each end of the bottom plate 136 has a hole140 there through. Accordingly, a first structural column 132 can bestacked vertically on a second structural column 132 such that the bolts138 of the top plate 134 of the second structural column 132 passthrough the holes 140 of the bottom plate 136 of the first structuralcolumn 132. Nuts may then be applied to the bolts 138 of the top plateof the second structural column 132 and tightened to fasten the firstand second structural columns 132 vertically to one another.

The top and bottom plates 134 and 136 are slightly wider than the track12 used for the horizontal truss panel 20/22/24 and vary in thicknessdepending on building height and code requirements. The through-boltingprovided by the bolts 138 and holes 140 permit the structural columns132 to be connected to one another vertically and to other assemblieswithin a building (roof, foundations, garages, etc.).

The structural columns 132 are connected to horizontal truss panels20/22/24 by way of stud sections 142 of the stud 10. The stud sections142 are welded or otherwise suitably fastened to the top and bottom ofthe structural column 132. A stud section 144 is fastened by weld orsuitable fastener at about the middle of the structural column 130 suchthat its web 14 faces outwardly. This stud section 144 is a “hold-off”to keep the studs 36, 38, 88, and 90 of the horizontal truss panels fromdeflecting. Unification plates such as 154 may or may not be used atthis location.

The material of the structural column 132, for example, is cold rolledsteel. The structural column 132 may be hollow and have a wall thicknessthat varies depending on application and code. The material of theplates 134 and 136 and for the truss hangars 144 and 146, for example,may be 18-14 gauge cold roll steel.

FIGS. 7 and 8 shows the manner of attaching a horizontal truss panelsuch as the horizontal truss panels 20, 22, and 24 to the structuralcolumn assembly 130. A unified horizontal truss panel is created whenthe structural column assembly 130 is attached to the horizontal trusspanel 20/22/24 using four truss hanger unification plates 150, whichhave a stud insertion projection for attachment of the trusses 106discussed in further detail below, and two flat unification plates 154,all of which are attached by fasteners 34 to the side stud 36 and 38 ofthe horizontal truss panel 20/22/24 and the stud sections 142. The studsections 144 as shown in FIG. 7 act to “hold-off” studs 36 and 38 sothat these studs do not deflect through the space between the side studs36 and 38 and the structural column 132. Unification plates such as 154may or may not be used at this location.

In a UTCS structure, a section or length of wall is assembled byattaching a number (depending on wall length) of horizontal truss panelstogether using the structural column assemblies 130. The open horizontaltruss panels 24 are used as a wall section(s) in buildings where thereare larger openings like windows, doors, and pass-throughs. The V-bracedhorizontal truss panels 22/22 are used as wall section(s) generallythroughout the rest of the structure so as to provide dense lateralsupport of the structure. FIG. 9 shows a horizontal truss panel wallline having open and V-braced horizontal truss panels 24 and 20/22 in aUTCS wall line.

As indicated above, the truss 106 is attached to the horizontal trusspanel 20/22/24 by way of the truss/stud hangars 116 and the fasteners 34located at the inboard studs 44 and 46 and the center stud 48. Thetruss/stud hangar 116 is shown in FIG. 11 and includes a stud insertionprojection 152 to be received within the top stud 108 of the truss 106as illustrated in FIG. 5 and, when inverted 180 degrees as illustratedin FIGS. 5 and 8, within the bottom stud 110 of the truss 106. Thetruss/stud hanger 116 also includes L-shaped flanges 172 used to fastenthe truss/stud hangers to the top track 26 and, inverted, to thehorizontal bracing 30 and 32 of the horizontal truss panels.

The trusses 106 are connected to the horizontal truss panels 20/22/24 byinserting the end of the top stud 108 of the truss 106 into theinsertion projection 152 and fastening by fasteners 34, and connectingby fasteners 34 the L-shaped flanges 172 to the web 14 and flange 16 ofthe top track 26 and by connecting by fastener 34 a projection tab 176of the truss hangar 116 to the top flange 16 of the stud 108. The bottomstud 110 of the truss 106 is connected by inverting the truss/studhanger 116 by 180 degrees, inserting the end of the bottom stud 110 ofthe truss 106 into the insertion projection 152 and fastening byfasteners 34, connecting by fasteners 34 the L-shaped flanges 172 to theweb 14 of the tracks 30 and 32, and by connecting by fastener 34 theprojection tab 176 to the bottom flange 16 of the stud 110.

A truss 106 is also attached at each of the structural columns 132 byway of an insertion projection 152 on the unification plate 150. The endof the top stud 108 of the truss 106 is inserted over the insertionprojection 152 of the unification plate 150 and fastened with fasteners34 to the web 14 of the stud 108. The projection tab 176 is fastened bya fastener to the top flange 16 of the stud 108. The bottom stud 110 ofthe truss 106 is connected by way of insertion of the end of the stud110 over the insertion projection 152 of an unification plate 150 thatis rotated 180 degrees. Fasteners 34 are used to connect the insertionprojection 152 to the web 14 of the stud 110. The projection tab 176 isattached by way of a fastener to the bottom flange 16 of the stud 110.

FIG. 13 illustrates the trusses 106 connected to horizontal truss panels20/22/24.

FIG. 14 illustrates the trusses 106 connected to horizontal truss panels20/22/24 forming a UTCS open span assembly where the horizontal trusspanels 20/22/24 are assembled with the trusses 106 to create a wallline. The trusses 106 support a floor and ceiling assembly.

Attaching the trusses 106 to the horizontal truss panels in this mannerincorporates the truss 106 into the horizontal truss panels 20/22/24,eliminating the “hinge-point” that exists where a wall assembly sits ona floor, or where a ceiling assembly sits on top of a wall. Thisconnection unifies the trusses 106 and horizontal truss panels 20/22/24,in effect enabling the entire wall and floor system to act together as a“truss.” This configuration facilitates the transfer of forces on thefloor, ceiling, and horizontal truss panels 20/22/24 to their attachedstructural column assemblies 130. Accordingly, vertical and lateralforces are not transferred vertically horizontal truss panel tohorizontal truss panel. When subflooring and drywall are incorporatedinto the building, the entire system acts as a “diaphragm.”

FIG. 15 illustrates a UTCS building section formed as an assembly ofmultiple floors of a UTCS structure. In a UTCS building or structure,the horizontal truss panels 20/22/24 are laid out such that thestructural column assemblies 130 on one floor line up vertically withthe structural column assemblies 130 on the floor below, and so on, downto a foundation.

FIG. 16 shows this alignment of the structural column assemblies. FIG.16 also illustrates the density of the structural column assemblies 130in a UTCS structure.

FIG. 17 illustrates a three-dimensional view and a two-dimensional viewof the floor-to-floor joints of this assembly. It shows that horizontaltruss panels 20/22/24 do not contact or bear on each other, as isotherwise typical in “bearing wall” and steel and concrete structures.The horizontal truss panels on one floor of a UTCS structure do notcarry load from the floor above. This load is instead transferred to andcarried by the structural column assemblies 130. Each “floor” orelevation of the structure dampens and transfers its vertical live anddead load forces to the structural column assemblies 130, where they aredampened and transferred vertically to the foundation of the building.

The V-braced horizontal truss panels 20/22 dampen and transfer thelateral forces acting on the building to the redundant structural columnassemblies 130 in the structure. This transfer of forces is illustratedin FIG. 18. The blow up portion of FIG. 18 also illustrates that thepanels do not bear on each other vertically and that the forces (arrows)are not transferred vertically from one panel to the other. Rather thevertical and lateral forces are transferred laterally to the structuralcolumn assemblies 130. This type of load transfer is facilitated by theunique design and assembly of the system. Both the horizontal trusspanels 20/22/24 and the trusses 106 act as a unified truss system.

UTCS may employ horizontal truss panels of varying widths from 20′ to2′, the most common being V-braced horizontal truss panels 20/22measuring 8′ and 4′. These panels lead to a significant redundancy ofthe structural column assemblies 130 within the structure. Each openhorizontal truss panel 24 acts to support and mitigate only thosevertical local forces proximate to their attached structural columnassemblies 130. The V-braced horizontal truss panels 20/22 act tosupport vertical local forces as well as lateral forces acting on thestructure. Because of the unique manner in which the horizontal trusspanels 20/22/24 transfer vertical and lateral forces and the redundancyof the structural column assemblies 130 in the system, there in no needto configure panels differently from floor-to-floor. Only the width andgauge of the tracks 12, the studs 10, and V-brace vary, depending onbuilding height and code requirements.

Interior non-structural partition walls that separate spaces within aUTCS building are constructed from light gauge steel (typically 24-28gauge) and are typical in Type I and Type II steel frame construction.

UTCS is extremely efficient in managing vertical and lateral forces on abuilding. With UTCS the need to build a bearing wall structure or heavystructural core is eliminated, vastly reducing costs over traditionalconstruction practices. UTCS saves time as well because the structure ofa building is erected from a limited number of pre-assembled panels.This also dramatically reduces the cost of engineering the structure ofbuildings.

UTCS is unique and innovative. It can be built on nearly any foundationsystem including slabs, structured parking, retail and commercialbuildings. UTCS employs a framing technology that is based on asystem-built, panelized approach to construction. UTCS uses panelizedbuilding technology and innovative engineering to significantly reducethe cost of design, material, and erection of a building. UTCStechnology and engineering is a new structural system and method ofassembling single and multistory buildings.

Certain modifications of the present invention have been discussedabove. For example, although the present invention is particularlyuseful for constructing and assembling buildings without relying onconcrete and/or structural steel framing, heavy steel let-in bracing,and heavy steel and/or concrete panels, it can also be applied tobuildings having concrete and/or structural steel framing, heavy steellet-in bracing, and heavy steel and/or concrete panels. Othermodifications will occur to those practicing in the art of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 1-18 and the accompanying disclosure illustrate using a limitednumber of configurations for standardized structural components.Specifically, the standardized structural components allow for providingintegration between architectural and structural design of buildingstructures, production of components for such building structures, andthe eventual erection of such building structures using the standardizedstructural components. The following disclosure illustrates variousmethods and systems for using these standardized structural components.Specifically, the system and method disclosed below eliminates theimplementation inefficiencies, unnecessary costs, lack of coordination,unnecessary delays, and other problems associated with conventionalbuilding design and construction projects.

The fully integrated method and system disclosed below provides anintegrated platform for design, manufacturing, and construction ofbuilding structures. Furthermore, the system disclosed herein alsoprovides an active design functionality that assists in determining howother elements and building components, such as, rough-ins, finishes,windows, stairs, elevators, etc., relate to and are automatically sizedand or located in relation to the structure of a building. Theautomation and coordination provided by the system enables greaterdesign efficiency, better overall coordination and time and cost savingson architecture, structural engineering, mechanical, electrical andplumbing (MEP) engineering, manufacturing, and construction.

FIG. 19 illustrates an example block diagram of a system 1900 for usingthe standardized structural components disclosed above. Specifically,the system 1900 includes a computer aided design (CAD) software module1902 that is used to generate a design file 1904 for a building. Anexample of the CAD software 1902 is the Revit architectural designsoftware from Autodesk. The design file 1904 may be generated in aformat, such as AutoCAD DWG file, DXF file, JPEG file, BMP file, GIFfile, TXT file, etc. In one implementation of the system 1900, thedesign file 1904 also includes designation of one or more walls 1906 ofthe building as standardized structural panel walls. For example, suchdesignation of the walls may be provided by the architect during thedesign phase of a building.

The system 1900 also includes a database 1908 that stores structuraldetails for various standardized structural components 1910. Forexample, the database 1908 includes records that provide the definitionof the trusses, the truss components, and other standardized structuralcomponents 1910 discussed above in FIGS. 1-18. Furthermore, theserecords may also include other characteristics of these standardizedstructural components 1910, such as their dimensions, lateral andvertical load bearing capacities, shear capacities, the identificationof studs that attach to the particular panels, etc. While system 1900illustrates the database 1908 as being separate from the CAD softwaremodule 1902, in one implementation, the database 1908 may be integratedwith the CAD software module 1902. Alternatively, the database 1908 maybe accessible to the CAD software module 1902 via a plug-in to the CADsoftware module 1902 that is designed to access the database 1908. Suchan implementation allows the database 1908 to be located remotely on adatabase server accessible to a large number of users of different CADsoftware modules.

The system 1900 includes a geometric grid module 1912 that uses thedesign file 1904 and the standardized structural components 1910 as itsinput. The grid module 1912 may be configured to reside in the CADsoftware module 1902 as an add-in. A designer generating a buildingdesign using the CAD software module 1902 may select to activate thegrid module 1912. Alternatively, the grid module 1912 may be configuredto be automatically activated when the CAD software module 1902 isactive. The grid module 1912 generates a geometric grid based on the oneor more of the standardized structural panel walls 1906, wherein thegrid identifies the coordinates for each of the standardized structuralpanel walls 1906. In one alternative implementation, the geometric gridgenerated buy the grid module 1912 exists in each of x, y, and z planes.Yet alternatively, the geometric grid may be set up as a network ofmultiple grids at various angles to account for the angles typical inbuilding designs. The geometric grid also allows the activation ofseveral grids at various angles to one another to allow for the designof angled buildings, where active grids snap the standardized structuralcomponents to precise grid coordinates.

Subsequently, the grid module 1912 automatically positions one or moreof the standardized structural panel walls 1906 along grid lines suchthat the standardized structural panel walls 1906 end substantiallyclose to the grid line intersections. In this manner, the locations andlengths of the standardized structural panel walls 1906 are aligned tothe lines of the geometric grid.

Subsequently, the system 1900 employs a mapping solutions module 1914that analyzes the wall lines as mapped to the geometric grid usingstructural performance and other data associated with standardizedstructural components 1910 to determine the position, direction, etc.,of the standardized structural components 1910 along the grid lines. Inone implementation, the standardized structural components 1910 aremapped to the grid coordinates at predetermined distance intervals. Forexample, the standardized structural components 1910 are mapped to thegrid at interval of two feet. The selection of the predetermineddistance interval may be based on a minimum denominator size of thestandardized structural components 1910.

The mapping solution module 1914 may first map the standardizedstructural components 1910 used at part of the floor structure, such astrusses, along the grid lines. Example of such trusses used as part ofthe floor structure include truss 106 disclosed in FIG. 5 and discussedabove. Once the mapping solution module 1914 has established thelocation and direction of trusses, the mapping solution module 1914determines location and selection of standardized structural components1910 that are used as wall panels. Examples of such wall panels includethe V-braced horizontal truss panel 20 disclosed in FIG. 3, the openhorizontal truss panel 24 disclosed in FIG. 4, etc. The mappingsolutions module 1914 calculates an efficient layout of such wall panelsby analyzing the location of openings in the walls, column elements suchas the structural column 130, etc. For example, the mapping solutionmodule 1914 analyzes the load bearing capacity, the shear capacity,etc., of the structural columns together with such performancecapacities of various wall panels to ensure that the resulting structureaccommodates the design for wall openings, etc., and also meetsconstruction code. Specifically, the mapping module 1912 may determinethe selection of wall panels to maximize efficiency, to minimize cost,etc.

In one implementation, the system 1900 is also configured to change theselection and layout of the standardized structural components 1910based on one or more changes to the architectural drawing of thebuilding. For example, if a window opening is moved from one wall toanother wall or from one location in a wall to another location, theselection and placement of the trusses, wall truss panels, etc., arealso changed. Yet alternatively, the system 1900 also allows an engineerto make localized changes to the structure and flows the effect of suchchanges to the remainder of the building. For example, if the seismiccode in a particular jurisdiction requires a particular configuration ofpanels along a wall line of a building, an engineer is able to make therequired change. In such as case, the system 130 automatically analyzesthe remaining structure to ensure the compliance of the entire buildingwith codes, structural soundness, etc.

The system 1900 also includes an output module 1916 that allows a userto generate various outputs 1920 based on the results generated by themapping solutions module 1914. While, system 190 illustrates the outputmodule 1916 as a separate module, in an alternative implementation, suchan output module 1916 may be part of system setup. For example, a usermay select one or more of the outputs and/or functionalities at the timeof setting up the system and the output module 1914 generates thenecessary output. For the system 1900 illustrated in FIG. 1, the outputmodule 1916 generates outputs 1922-1934.

Specifically, the output module 1916 is configured to generate astructural component list 1922 including unique identification for eachof various structural components for the each of the various walls inthe building. Thus, for example, the structural component list 1922 mayinclude a listing of fastening screws, bolts, studs, etc., required forthe building structure. In one implementation, the output module 1916also generates quick response (QR) codes for the various structuralcomponents. Such QR codes may be used to uniquely identify a particularstructural component or a particular type of structural component. Forexample, a QR code is provided for uniquely identifying a particularunification plate that is used to attach a structural panel to ahorizontal truss panel. Yet alternatively, each of the QR codes 1924 isassociated with other information identifying the structural component,such as the location of the structural component in the buildingstructure, the price of the structural component, structuralcharacteristics of the structural component, etc.

The output module 1916 may also be configured to generate structuralpanel names 1926 for various structural components of the buildingstructure. For example, each particular column of the building structureis assigned a structural panel name that identifies that particularcolumn and provide various information about the column, such as thecolumn thickness, column size, height, column face configuration, etc.Similarly, a structural panel name may identify a particular panel, thepanel type, panel distance from corners on various axes, column offsetfrom an end, etc. Further discussion of structural panel names isprovided below in FIG. 22.

Furthermore, the output module 1916 may also be configured to generatepages 192 providing information about various structural components of abuilding structure. Such pages 1928 may be configured as web pages withURLs that may be activated via a QE code. For example, when a user scansone of the QR codes 1924 using a QR code scanner, the user may beprovided the web page containing information about that particularclient. Thus, for example, if a QR code is provided on a component thatis already installed on a building structure, scanning that QR code inthe field allows a user to get further information about that structuralcomponent. Additionally, the pages 1928 are also dynamically updatedwith information, such as the location of the structural component,installation status of the structural component, etc. In oneimplementation, one or more applications provided on a user device usedto scan the QR code can also update the information on the pages 1928.

Furthermore, the output module 1916 may also be configured to generatethree-dimensional models 1930 of the building structure. In oneimplementation, such 3-D models 1930 are also dynamically updated suchthat as the construction of the building progresses, the 3-D model 1916is also updated. Furthermore, the 3-D models 1930 may also identifyvarious structural components of the building structure. In oneimplementation, the output module 1916 also generates output files forproject engineering review and approval. For example, such output filesmay includes detailed three-dimensional drawings of the buildingstructure, various stress analysis reports, data required to besubmitted for compliance requirements with various building codes, etc.A user may provide a feedback based on the review and approval output,in which case, the user input is incorporated in generating a differentsolution for the building structure.

In one implementation, the output module 1916 is also configured togenerate a bill of material 1932 using information about variousstructural components of a building structure. Such bill if material maybe in the form of a spreadsheet that can be further processed by users.Alternatively, the bill of material output 1932 may be in the form of afile that can be directly imported by an accounting or other financialsoftware for further processing. Yet alternatively, the output module1916 may also generate purchase orders for the parts that areoutsourced. Again, such purchase order output may be in the form thatcan be further processed by an accounting or financial software.

Yet alternatively, the output module 1916 also generates machine controlfiles 1934 or macro files that can be used to control various machinesused to manufacture structural components and standardized structuralcomponents. For example, the macro files 1934 generated by the outputmodule 1916 may be used to control various light gauge roll-formingmachines that produce track and stud elements for the buildingstructure. Such macro files may be loaded into the manufacturingmachines manually or automatically. Additionally, such macro files mayalso include instructions to the manufacturing machines to generatelabels for manufactured parts and standardized structural components.Further discussion of the use of the macro files is provided below inFIG. 24. The output module 1916 also generates shop drawings andspecifications 1936 that can be used by the project design team,engineers, and building department. For example, a building inspectormay use the shop drawings generated by the output module 1916 to provideapproval for a building design, etc.

FIG. 20 illustrates an alternative example block diagram of a system forusing the standardized structural components. Specifically, FIG. 20illustrates a software module 2002 that can be used to interact withexisting architectural design software and various interactions with andinputs/outputs to and from the software module 2002. The software module2002 includes various components or modules 2004-2014 that providevarious functionalities for using standardized structural components.The software module 2002 may be installed as a plug-in in anyoff-the-shelf architectural design software, computer-aided-design (CAD)software, etc. Alternatively, the software module 2002 may bestand-alone software that communicates with architectural designsoftware using one or more application programming interfaces (APIs).For example, the software module 2002 may be configured to be installedand operated on a remote server and various CAD software instances maymake API calls to communicate with the software module 2002.

In the implementation illustrated in FIG. 20, architectural software2020 communicates with the software module 2002 with a building plan andfloor plan layout. The building plan and floor plan layout may be in astandard format such as DWG file, DXF file, etc. The software module2002 includes a wall-positioning module 2004 that assigns floor levelsand heights to each of the walls from the architectural design.Specifically, the wall-positioning module 2004 generates a geometricgrid based on the architectural diagram and maps various walls from thearchitectural diagram to the geometric grid. For example, if thearchitectural diagram includes a room that is 10′×9.5′, thewall-positioning module 2004 generates a geometric grid of 10×10 or 10×8depending on the architects final determination and maps the walls ofthe room to the grid.

The software module 2002 also includes a floor direction module 2006that determines the direction of the floors. Specifically, floorstructure in a building may be determined by an engineer of record basedon loading (live or dead load), where floor loads are carried from wallto wall by the trusses. Sometimes it may be clear as to which directionto place the floor, for example in the north-south (N-S) direction, inthe east-west (E-W) direction, etc., for carrying the least load andtherefore to use less (reduced cost) structure. The system disclosedherein automatically determines the direction of least loading andplaces the floor in one of the E-W, N-S, or other direction. Wherepossible the floor is not loaded against exterior walls as well,automatically. FIG. 2An opening analysis module 2008 analyzes theopenings in the walls that are fit along the geometric grid. Forexample, the opening analysis module 2008 may analyze doors, windows,pass-throughs, etc., in a particular wall to determine the positioningof various standardized structural components that would be included inthat particular wall.

Once the wall size, the floor directions, the openings, and othercharacteristics of a wall are determined, a standardized structuralpanel-fitting module 2010 determines the standardized structuralcomponents that are to be used for that particular wall. Thus, forexample, the fitting module 2010 may determine that two V-basedhorizontal truss panels, such as those disclosed in FIG. 3, togetherwith an open horizontal truss panel, such as those disclosed in FIGS. 4,4.1, 4.2 may be used in a given wall. The fitting module 2010 may use astandardized structural panel database 2012 that stores data structuresabout each of various standardized structural components. For example,each data structure in such database 2012 may provide information aboutthe dimensions, weight, stress capacities, adjoining panels, etc., of astandardized structural panel. The module 2010 selects whichstandardized structural panel fits a particular module based on lengthof the wall. In one implementation, the fitting module 2010 analyzeseach of the walls in 2′ increments to see what standardized structuralcomponents are best fits for that particular wall. However, in analternative implementation, other size of increments may also be used.

The fitting module 2010 also determines where to add structural columnsalong the grid lines of the geometric grid. In determining thestructural columns, the fitting module 2010 analyzes the required loadbearing capacity and other characteristics of the building. Once thefitting module 2010 has fit various standardized structural componentsand structural columns to the grid lines, various output data isgenerated based on the solution. For example, a manufacturing datageneration module 2014 generates data about structural components thatare to be outsourced and the specification thereof, data aboutstructural components to be manufactured, macro files for each of thestructural component to be manufactured, etc. Such macro files may beused by production machines 2030 to generate the final manufacturedcomponents. For example, a macro file may be generated for a cold rollformer interface 2032 that instructs a cold roll former machine where topunch holes, where to cut the edges for cold rolled panels, etc.Similarly, other macro files may be used by a welder interface 2034 thatcan be used by a robotic welder to determine where to generate a weldingjoint and what kind of welding joint is appropriate. Such macro filesallows automation of the process of manufacturing and putting togethercomponents used in a building construction 2026.

The software module 2002 generates detailed three-dimensional drawingswith specifications, such as stress bearing capacities of each wall (asa combination of standardized structural components and structuralcolumns), noise mitigation specifications, etc. Such drawings withspecifications may be submitted to a review and approval processor 2022,such as a local building approval board, an engineer, etc., for furtherreview, the processor may approve the drawings or recommend changes viathe architectural software 2020, in which case, the software module 2002generates a new set of drawings with specifications for revisedapproval.

Once the designs are approved by the review and approval processor 2022,the architectural software uses the input from the software module 2002to generate plans and specifications 2024 for the building constructionengineers. Such plans and specifications 2024 may include, for example,the schedule specifying the order in which the building construction isto proceed, instructions about how specific components are to beinstalled, etc., for the actual building construction 2026.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example flowchart 2100 of a method of using thestandardized structural components. An operation 2102 receivesarchitectural drawings. For example, a software module plugged in designsoftware may receive such architectural drawings from the designsoftware. After determining the floor dimensions, an operation 2104generates a geometric grid based on the architectural design. In oneimplementation, the geometric grid has granularity of 2′×2′. However, inan alternative implementation, geometric grid with other granularity mayalso be used. Specifically, the geometric grid includes various gridlines and their intersections. Subsequently, an operation 2106determines the floor dimensions and directions from the receivedarchitectural design. In one implementation, if the architectural designhas multiple rooms, the operation 2106 may analyze each room at a timeand determine the floor dimensions and directions of each roomseparately. Alternatively, the operation 2106 may determine the floordimensions and directions of all the rooms in a combined manner.

An operation 2108 positions various walls from the architectural designonto the grid lines. Specifically, only those walls that fit thegeometric grid lines to their intersections are positioned along thegrid lines. Thus, for example, if a wall was curved wall or itsdimension was less than 2′, such a wall may not be positioned along agrid line. In such an example, if the architect wants to use a curved oran angled wall, or other walls that are not in 2′ increments, suchcurved walls, etc., are determined to be non-standardized walls. In thiscase, such walls do not map or reside on the grid lines. Specifically,non-load bearing walls also may not map to the grid lines. An example,of such fitting the architectural walls to the grid lines is provided infurther detail below in FIG. 25.

Subsequently, an operation 2110 positions standardized components alongthe walls that are positioned along the grid lines. Specifically, giventhat grid lines have a granularity of 2′×2′, standardized components fitthis walls without requiring any custom manufactured components. Thus,for example, if a 6′ wall was positioned along a grid line, a horizontalpanel of 4′ and another horizontal panel of 2′ may be used to create the6′ wall. Furthermore, another operation 2110 analyzes the location ofwindows and other openings in the walls to determine if open horizontalpanels, such as those disclosed in FIGS. 4, 4.1, and 4.2 are required.The selection of the standardized structural components also takes intoaccount the fact that various structural columns are to be added to thestructure. Specifically, an operation 2114 adds selects and adds suchstructural components to the structure. An example of such as structuralpanel is one disclosed in FIG. 6 above.

Once all the structural components, such as standardized panels,trusses, and columns, are mapped to the architectural design walls, anoperation 2116 analyzes the mapped solution. In one implementation, thesolution is analyzed with respect to compliance of the resultingstructure with various codes, its load bearing capacity, etc. Theanalyzing operation 2116 may generate output reports including warnings,violations, etc., that will be used by inspectors, engineers, etc., torecommend change to the resulting structure, if necessary. Furthermore,an operation 2118 generates various outputs that can be used inautomating the manufacturing and construction of the building structure.If there are any changes necessary, one or more operations of theflowchart 2100 may be repeated as necessary.

FIG. 22 illustrates example of structural panel names generated by thesystem disclosed herein. Specifically, FIG. 22 illustrates an example ofa structural panel name 2210 using panel name abbreviations and astructural column name 2240 using various column name abbreviations. Inthe example structural panel name 2210, PA represents the type of panel,312 represents the system size (3.5″ or 5.5″) of the panel and length ofthe panel. For example, 3 in 312 denotes that 3.5″ system size and 12represents the length of the panel being 12′ (the panel length is inincrements of 2′). The number 4032 represents the height of the panel in1/32″ increments, Sxxx represents the offset of a first stud on thepanel from a center line (CL) of a column or from a grid line, Xxxxrepresents the distance of the panel to a corner on an x-axis, Yxxxrepresents the distance of the panel to a corner on a y-axis, Wxxxrepresents a width of an opening, Hxxx represents a height of anopening, and Exxx represents an offset from CL at the end.

In the example structural column name 2240, CB represents columnthickness, 3XX represents column size, 4032 represents height of thecolumn in 1/32″ increments, AOJO represents the face configuration ofthe column, 3033 represents a size of a connected panel to the column,the first A3030 represents the type of an end plate attached to the topof the column, and the second A3030 represents the type of an end plateattached to the bottom of the column.

FIG. 23 illustrates example flowchart 2300 of a method for usingspecialized code to track building construction progress. Specifically,the flowchart 2300 discloses one or more operations that are taken bythe system for using quick response (QR) codes to track buildingconstruction. An operation 2302 generates the QR codes. The QR codes aregenerated such that various standardized structural components, such aspanels, columns, trusses, etc., can be uniquely identified by a given QRcode. Alternatively, a QR code may be used to identify a plurality ofcomponents that are similar to each other. Thus, for example, allunification plates 154 may be identified by a similar QR code. Asanother example, the QR code for a panel may be attached with a fieldcontaining the structural panel name 2210 that provides informationabout that particular panel.

Subsequently, an operation 2304 attaches information related to astructural component to the QR code. Thus, for example, in a databaseeach of the QR code may be attached to one or more fields that provideinformation about the structural component that is related to that QRcode. Such structural component information may include the dimensionsof the structural component, the location of the structural component ina building structure, cost information of that structural component,etc. Subsequently, the QR code is physically attached to the structuralcomponent. Thus, for example, a QR code for a truss is printed andattached to that particular truss after it is manufactured.

Once a structural component is provided with a QR code, a determiningoperation 2308 determines if that QR code has been scanned. For example,a specialized QR code-scanning device, a generic QR code-scanning devicesuch as a smartphone, etc., may be used to scan the QR code. If the QRcode has been scanned, control is transferred to another determiningoperation 2310 that determines if there are any changes to theinformation related to the structural component. For example, a QRcode-scanning device may be provided with a capability to update thestatus of the structural component in the building construction process,to update the location of the structural component in the building, etc.If the determining operation 2310 determines that such update ofinformation is received, an updating operation 2312 updates thestructural component information. Such updating may involve, forexample, updating of various fields in a database that are related tothe particular structural component. As an example, a scanning devicemay scan a QR code on a truss that is already installed on the buildingstructure and update the status of that truss to “installed.” In thismanner, the system disclosed herein provides automatic tracking andupdating of deployment of various structural components, including thestandardized structural components used in a building construction.

FIG. 24 illustrates an example flowchart 2400 of a method for usingmachine control filed or macro files to control the manufacturing of thestandardized structural components. An operation 2402 generates themacro files. In one implementation, such macro files is generated basedon the dimensions of the component that is to be manufactured. Forexample, for manufacturing a chord of a truss, the length of the chord,the width of the chord, the location of pilot holes and weld slots inthe chord, etc., is included in the macro file. An operation 2404 loadsthe macro file in a machine used to generate the structural component.For example, if the macro file is for generating a chord of a truss, themacro file is loaded in the controlling module of a light gauge rollmachine.

In this example, at operation 2406 the light gauge roll machinegenerates the cold rolled truss chord and cuts it at appropriate length,angle, etc. In one implementation, the macro file is also providedinformation about the QR code that is to be assigned to the manufacturedpart. In such an implementation, an operation 2408 generates a QR codethat is to be used to label the manufactured truss chord. Furthermore,an operation 2410 also communicates the specification for component to awelding machine that is used to generate the assembled component, suchas a truss that uses the cold rolled truss to be combined with variouscold rolled braces, etc. The welding machine may use the componentspecification to automatically generate the welding joints between thevarious truss components.

Additionally, an operation 2412 generates a list of parts for which themanufacturing in outsourced. Specifically, operation 2412 may alsogenerate a purchase order with the detailed specification about thepart. As an example, specification for the unification plates 154 maybegenerated by the operation 2412 and sent to an outside manufacturer inthe form of a purchase order. In one implementation of the systemdisclosed herein, an operation 2414 assembles standardized structuralcomponents such as columns, trusses, panels, etc., using one or morecomponents that are manufactured and/or outsourced. For example, anautomatic assembly machine may be provided a macro file withinstructions for assembling the component parts to generate thestandardized structural component. Additionally, once the standardizedstructural component is assembled, a labeling operation 2416 labels itwith a QR code or other identification code. For example, each of thetrusses may be labeled with a QR code that uniquely identifies thattruss. Alternatively, all trusses of the same type are labeled with thesame QR code. Subsequently, at an operation 2418 the standardizedstructural components are used to erect the building structure.

FIG. 25 illustrates an example geometric grid 2500 used by the methodand system disclosed herein. Specifically, the geometric grid 2500 is anactive grid where various standardized structural components can bemapped (or “snapped”) to the precise grid coordinates of the geometricgrid 250. For example, the geometric the grid 2500 includes horizontaland vertical grid lines 2502. In one implementation, the grid lines areprovided in increments of two feet. However, in alternativeimplementation, other incremental dimension may be provided. Anarchitect using the system disclosed herein can draw one or morestructural walls of a building structure to the grid lines 2502. Thus,for example, structural walls 2504 that are mapped or snapped to one ofthe geometric grid lines 2502. If there are any walls or other elementsof the building that do not fit to the geometric grid lines 2502, theyare not mapped to the grid lines. For example, in the illustratedimplementation, divider walls 2506, doors, etc., are not snapped ormapped to the geometric grid lines 2502.

FIG. 26 illustrates an example plan view 2600 of a geometric grid withvarious standardized structural components along the grid lines.Specifically, the plan view 2600 illustrates a number of grid lines 2602and various standardized structural components 2604, 2606, etc., alongthe grid lines 2602. As discussed above, each of the standardizedstructural components 2604, 2606 may be associated with a QR code andsaved in a database that includes other information about suchstandardized structural components 2604, 2606.

FIG. 27 illustrates an example elevation view 2700 of a buildingstructure using various standardized structural components. For example,the elevation view 2700 illustrates various standardized structuralcomponents including standardized trusses 2702, standardized panels2704, standardized columns 2706, etc. FIG. 28 illustrates athree-dimensional view 2800 of a structure generated using variousstandardized structural components. For example, the three-dimensionalview 2800 illustrates various standardized trusses 2802, standardizedpanels 2804, standardized columns 2806, etc.

FIG. 29 illustrates an example computing system that can be used toimplement one or more components of the method and system describedherein. A general-purpose computer system 1000 is capable of executing acomputer program product to execute a computer process. Data and programfiles may be input to the computer system 1000, which reads the filesand executes the programs therein. Some of the elements of ageneral-purpose computer system 1000 are shown in FIG. 10, wherein aprocessor 1002 is shown having an input/output (I/O) section 1004, aCentral Processing Unit (CPU) 1006, and a memory section 1008. There maybe one or more processors 1002, such that the processor 1002 of thecomputer system 1000 comprises a single central-processing unit 1006, ora plurality of processing units, commonly referred to as a parallelprocessing environment. The computer system 1000 may be a conventionalcomputer, a distributed computer, or any other type of computer such asone or more external computers made available via a cloud computingarchitecture. The described technology is optionally implemented insoftware devices loaded in memory 1008, stored on a configuredDVD/CD-ROM 1010 or storage unit 1012, and/or communicated via a wired orwireless network link 1014 on a carrier signal, thereby transforming thecomputer system 1000 in FIG. 10 to a special purpose machine forimplementing the described operations.

The I/O section 1004 is connected to one or more user-interface devices(e.g., a keyboard 1016 and a display unit 1018), a disk storage unit1012, and a disk drive unit 1020. Generally, in contemporary systems,the disk drive unit 1020 is a DVD/CD-ROM drive unit capable of readingthe DVD/CD-ROM medium 1010, which typically contains programs and data1022. Computer program products containing mechanisms to effectuate thesystems and methods in accordance with the described technology mayreside in the memory section 1004, on a disk storage unit 1012, or onthe DVD/CD-ROM medium 1010 of such a system 1000, or external storagedevices made available via a cloud computing architecture with suchcomputer program products including one or more database managementproducts, web server products, application server products and/or otheradditional software components. Alternatively, a disk drive unit 1020may be replaced or supplemented by a floppy drive unit, a tape driveunit, or other storage medium drive unit. The network adapter 1024 iscapable of connecting the computer system to a network via the networklink 1014, through which the computer system can receive instructionsand data embodied in a carrier wave. Examples of such systems includeIntel and PowerPC systems offered by Apple Computer, Inc., personalcomputers offered by Dell Corporation and by other manufacturers ofIntel-compatible personal computers, AMD-based computing systems andother systems running a Windows-based, UNIX-based, or other operatingsystem. It should be understood that computing systems may also embodydevices such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), mobile phones,smart-phones, gaming consoles, set top boxes, tablets or slates (e.g.,iPads), etc.

When used in a LAN-networking environment, the computer system 1000 isconnected (by wired connection or wirelessly) to a local network throughthe network interface or adapter 1024, which is one type ofcommunications device. When used in a WAN-networking environment, thecomputer system 1000 typically includes a modem, a network adapter, orany other type of communications device for establishing communicationsover the wide area network. In a networked environment, program modulesdepicted relative to the computer system 1000 or portions thereof, maybe stored in a remote memory storage device. It is appreciated that thenetwork connections shown are exemplary and other means of andcommunications devices for establishing a communications link betweenthe computers may be used.

Further, the plurality of internal and external databases, data stores,source database, and/or data cache on the cloud server are stored asmemory 1008 or other storage systems, such as disk storage unit 1012 orDVD/CD-ROM medium 1010 and/or other external storage device madeavailable and accessed via a cloud computing architecture. Stillfurther, some or all of the operations for the system disclosed hereinmay be performed by the processor 1002. In addition, one or morefunctionalities of the system disclosed herein may be generated by theprocessor 1002 and a user may interact with these GUIs using one or moreuser-interface devices (e.g., a keyboard 1016 and a display unit 1018)with some of the data in use directly coming from third party websitesand other online sources and data stores via methods including but notlimited to web services calls and interfaces without explicit userinput.

A server hosts the system for using the standardized structuralcomponents disclosed herein. In an alternate implementation, the serveralso hosts a website or an application that users visit to access thesystem for using the standardized structural components. Server may beone single server, or a plurality of servers with each such server beinga physical server or a virtual machine or a collection of both physicalservers and virtual machines. Alternatively, a cloud hosts one or morecomponents of the system for using the standardized structuralcomponents. The user devices, the server, the cloud, as well as otherresources connected to the communications network access one or more ofservers for getting access to one or more websites, applications, webservice interfaces, etc., that are used in the system for using thestandardized structural components. In one implementation, the serveralso hosts a search engine that is used by the system for accessing thesystem for using the standardized structural components and to selectone or more services used in the system for using the standardizedstructural components.

Accordingly, the description of the present invention is to be construedas illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled inthe art the best mode of carrying out the invention. The details may bevaried substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention,and the exclusive use of all modifications, which are within the scopeof the appended claims, is reserved.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: generating an architecturaldiagram describing an architectural layout of a building, wherein one ormore walls of the building are designated as standardized structuralwalls; automatically positioning, using a computer, each of thestandardized structural walls to a geometric grid by aligning the eachof the standardized structural walls along grid lines of the geometricgrid and along grid line intersections of the geometric grid; andmapping, one or more of a plurality of standardized structuralcomponents to coordinates of the geometric grid.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein the plurality of standardized structural components comprisesstandardized panels, standardized columns, and standardized trusses. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein mapping one or more of a plurality ofstandardized structural components further comprises solving a pluralityof mapping solutions for the each of the one or more standardizedstructural walls and selecting one of the plurality of mapping solutionsfor the each of the one or more standardized structural walls based on apredetermined criterion wherein the predetermined criterion isminimization of the number of structural columns supporting the each ofthe plurality of standardized structural walls.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein mapping one or more of a plurality of standardized structuralcomponents further comprises solving a plurality of mapping solutionsfor the each of the one or more standardized structural walls byanalyzing the grid lines based on a structural performance criterion,determining position and direction of standardized trusses, anddetermining a layout of standardized panels based on location ofopenings in the one or more standardized structural walls.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein the solving a plurality of mapping solutions foreach of the plurality of walls further comprises analyzing the each ofthe plurality of standardized structural walls in a standardizedincrement.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating astandardized structural component list including unique identificationfor each of the plurality of standardized structural components for theeach of the plurality of standardized structural walls.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: generating a plurality of identificationcodes; and uniquely associating one or more of the plurality ofidentification codes with each of the one or more of the plurality ofthe standardized structural components.
 8. The method of claim 7,further comprising generating a plurality of resource identifiers andassociating each of the plurality of identification codes with one ofthe plurality of resource identifiers.
 9. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising associating each of the plurality of identification codeswith a location code, wherein the location code identifies a location ofone of the standardized structural components within the building. 10.The method of claim 8, further comprising attaching an identificationtag including the identification code to one or more of the plurality ofstandardized structural components.
 11. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising associating a status of the one or more of the standardizedstructural components with the identification code associated with theone or more of the standardized structural components.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising automatically generating (1) athree-dimensional model of the building, the three-dimensional modelidentifying the one or more of a plurality of standardized structuralcomponents within the building and (2) shop drawings and specificationsfor the building.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprisingautomatically generating a bill of material using the three-dimensionalmodel of the building, the bill of material comprising the quantities ofat least one of stud elements, track elements, connecting plates, columnelements, and connectors.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising: automatically generating a macro file comprising trackelement specifications and stud element specifications; transferring themacro file to a light gauge roll forming machine; and communicating withthe light gauge roll forming machine using the macro file to controlpositioning of at least one of punches, dimples and lengths of at leastone of the track elements and the stud elements.
 15. One or morenon-transitory computer-readable storage media storing computerexecutable instructions for performing a computer process on a computingsystem, the computer process comprising: generating an architecturaldiagram describing an architectural layout of a building, wherein one ormore walls of the building are designated as standardized structuralwalls; automatically positioning, using a computer, each of thestandardized structural walls to a geometric grid by aligning the eachof the standardized structural walls along grid lines of the geometricgrid and along grid line intersections of the geometric grid; solving aplurality of mapping solutions for the each of the one or morestandardized structural walls; selecting one of the plurality of mappingsolutions for the each of the one or more standardized structural wallsbased on a predetermined criterion, wherein the predetermined criterionis minimization of the number of structural columns supporting the eachof the plurality of standardized structural walls; and mapping, one ormore of a plurality of standardized structural components to coordinatesof the geometric grid based on the selected mapping solution.
 16. One ormore non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15, whereinthe plurality of standardized structural components comprisesstandardized panels, standardized columns, and standardized trusses. 17.One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15,wherein the solving a plurality of mapping solutions for each of theplurality of walls further comprises analyzing the each of the pluralityof standardized structural walls in predetermined increments.
 18. Asystem, comprising: a design module configured to generate anarchitectural diagram describing an architectural layout of a building,wherein the design module is configured to allow designating one or morewalls of the building as standardized structural walls; a geometric gridmodule configured to generate a geometric grid having grid lines andgrid intersections and to position, one or more of the standardizedstructural walls to the geometric grid by aligning the each of thestandardized structural walls along the grid lines and along the gridline intersections; a mapping solution module comprising one or morecomputerized instructions stored on a computer memory, the mappingsolution module configured to map, using a processor, one or more of aplurality of standardized structural components to the grid lines andthe grid line intersections; and an output module configured to:generate a plurality of identification codes and uniquely associate oneor more of the plurality of identification codes with one or more of theplurality of the standardized structural components, and generate aplurality of resource identifiers and associate each of the plurality ofidentification codes with a location code, wherein the location codeidentifies a location of one of the standardized structural componentswithin the building.
 19. The system of claim 18, further comprising anidentification code scanning device configured to scan a identificationcodes associated with one of the plurality of standardized structuralcomponents, receive an input from a user associated with the one of theplurality of standardized structural components, and updatinginformation associated with resource identifiers associated with thescanned identification code.
 20. The system of claim 25, wherein theinformation associated with the resource identifiers is an installationstatus of the one of the plurality of standardized structuralcomponents.